JOMO TARIKU
Ethiopian American artist and designer Jomo Tariku is a pioneer of modern African design. Visually striking, yet effortlessly functional, his work is rooted in Africa’s rich cultural heritage. A constant student of African art and culture, Jomo’s interest was sparked by the diverse art and created objects his family collected during their travels across Africa and beyond. His craft expresses a modern harmony of heritage, humanity, and design sensibility. Intended to be heirloom pieces to be celebrated and enjoyed for generations to come, Tariku’s spellbinding designs breathe warmth and vitality into living spaces.
The Meedo Chair is featured in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Afro-futuristic period room, Before Yesterday We Could Fly, and included in the Met’s permanent collection. Tariku's work is also in the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC, the Denver Art Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. Several of Tariku's designs are featured in the recent Marvel movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, whose Academy Award winning production designer Hannah Beachler was the curator for Before Yesterday We Could Fly. A champion of Black designers, Tariku helped co-found the Black Artists + Designers Guild (BADG) and is the recipient of the 2022 BADG Maker Award.
“I aim to cultivate a lifelong appreciation for elevated modern African design, and to inspire a deeper and fuller connection to the continent. I weave the continent’s nature, art, and history within each piece I produce. Every design tells a unique story, with no detail overlooked or undervalued.” —Jomo Tariku
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